Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Beyond any doubt as a woman she is a symbol of the church on earth as an institution for the building up of the saints, and for the propagation of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ. And when I speak about “the church” we must distinguish between the invisible church consisting of all the truly saved individuals in the world, and the outwardly visible church consisting of all the outwardly visible church organizations in the world who call themselves Christian, and who may contain perhaps a small nucleus of truly saved individuals, or none at all. The language in the Bible does not make such distinction, but wherever the word church is mentioned, from the context we will understand which church is in view.

Every outwardly visible church has some unsaved individuals attending who may be classified as “the show church”. When “the show church” becomes the majority fraction of the local church they tend to crowd out the truly saved individuals in that church, who then will leave and that church will be a dead church. Only the invisible church can be called the Bride of Christ, but all the members of the outwardly visible church are called to serve for the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ. Initially the woman of Revelation 12 is the Bride of Christ. But then we read in Revelation 12:

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Eventually the Devil was able to multiply the fraction of “the show church”, for today we have many churches that are dead. This then is the condition of the church in the Final Tribulation Period, where the woman-harlot of Revelation 17 and 18 represents the church that has gone apostate. She has forsaken Christ as her rightful Bridegroom, and has surrendered herself to be employed as an instrument of the world-power that is called Antichrist. And as a city her essential character is revealed. For even as the true church of Christ shall ultimately reveal itself as the New Jerusalem, so the counterfeit church shall reveal itself as the counterfeit Jerusalem, which is called Babylon.

Secondly, we found in Revelation 17 that the woman-harlot was sitting on a beast with seven heads and ten horns, who is a perfect image of the dragon, Satan. This beast is the world-power, Antichrist, who is being helped by a second beast, called “the False Prophet”. In Revelation 17 only one beast is mentioned, indicating that a perfect union between the first beast and the second beast had already taken place. Moreover, a perfect union between the woman-harlot and the beast was already formed; the woman serves the beast and the beast supports the woman.

Thirdly, in Revelation 17 we have seen the judgment of the great whore, the harlot woman. We have seen that her harlotry consists in an illegal relation in which she, as the church, stands to the world power. She is called to be the manifestation of the body of Christ in the world, but instead she gives herself to be the body of the beast. She is called to build the saints in the most holy faith, but instead she makes all the inhabitants of the earth drunk with the wine of her fornications.

She is called to be the army of an eternal Kingdom based on the atoning blood of the Savior, but instead she labors for the establishment of a temporal kingdom of Antichrist which has no part with the blood of Christ and is therefore doomed to destruction. She is called to use the spiritual means of the Word, but instead she abandons the truth of the Word of God and seeks refuge in outward means and external ceremony to establish the promised kingdom. She is the harlot, the apostate woman, who labors for the beast instead of for the Kingdom of Christ. And we found that her judgment as harlot is certain: she will ultimately disappear as an institution, because her very lovers shall hate her. The kings who committed fornication with her shall aim at her destruction. Then the woman as harlot shall exist no more.

In Revelation 18 that destruction of the woman, that great city Babylon, is portrayed, both in descriptive and in symbolic language. That is the central thought of this chapter.

Babylon the Great

Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Revelation 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Revelation 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Some people interpret this as if Babylon would be representing the world. That is impossible. Verse 2 states it very clearly: “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird”.

How could this harlot be representing the world, meaning the entire kingdom of Satan, and yet only now has the announcement come that she has fallen?

Did not the entire world fall in the days of the Garden of Eden?

People argue that this fall of Babylon refers to the end of the world in the Last Day. But this is also not possible, for verse 2 says clearly that Babylon has fallen and has become the habitation of devils.

In other words after her fall she has become something else. If Babylon would represent the world, and the world will be totally destroyed on the Last Day, then Babylon is no more, and then God would not say that Babylon has become something else. You see, Revelation 18 is not teaching the physical destruction of the world, but Revelation 18 is teaching the curse on that entity that is symbolized by Babylon. She has become a source of astonishment and amazement to those who knew her before as the faithful church in the wilderness of this world. But she has now transcended into a spiritual harlot. And that is why she came under the curse of God and under the judgment of God.

Revelation 18:2 is not a call for the physical destruction of the church, but it is a summons for her spiritual destruction. That is why verse 2 says that she "has become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." She has become the source of false gospels emanating from that wicked habitation of devils. That is also indicated by the golden cup in her hand.

A Golden Cup In Her Hand

Revelation 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

Why did God specify that this symbolic woman-harlot has a golden cup in her hand?

The term “Golden Cup” is used only twice in the Bible, here in Revelation 17:4 and in Jeremiah 51:7.

It is very interesting that in both renderings of this term, “Golden Cup”, are in reference to Babylon. Both Jeremiah 50 and 51 are chapters describing the ultimate destruction of Babylon. This was a comfort for those who were captives of the literal Babylon 2600 years ago. But God used the physical destruction of Babylon as a picture of God’s judgment upon the end time spiritual Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18.

Physical Babylon was a picture of the kingdom of Satan, and the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, was a picture of Antichrist. But when Babylon had swallowed up the kingdom of Judah, both the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan had merged into one, just like in the end time the kingdom of God, the church, will be swallowed up by the kingdom of Satan and will be called Babylon. This is repugnant to most church going people. We naturally want to separate the apostate corporate church from the unsaved world. Like Habakkuk we think that the unsaved world is morally far worse than a church that errs in doctrine. But the Bible does not teach that. According to the Bible, God finds an apostate church far more repugnant than the unsaved heathen who do not know any better.

In 2 Thessalonians 2 God uses the term “falling away” for an apostate church. To fall away from the truth of God does not mean to turn away from God and become like unchurched heathen. To fall away from the truth means to turn to other ways of salvation than the salvation of the Bible. It means to serve other gods religiously and to lead our children and our friends also in that direction. God says in:

Jeremiah 51:7 “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad” (“therefore the nations act boastfully”)

Why do the nations act boastfully?

They do so because the new gospel that they are learning is not giving God the glory, but is giving the glory to man. It means that the church has left the back door open to other interpretations of the Bible that are not altogether God glorifying. It means, for example, that they are turning to gospels that give the glory of salvation to man’s “own free will”. Or perhaps that they are turning to gospels where God is still bringing Divine messages today in the form of dreams and visions and angel visitations and tongues. All these are gospels where people are worshipping other gods, but they are not worshipping the God of the Bible. These are the forms of idolatry that are prevalent in the harlot-church. These are the forms of idolatry that are spawned by Satan, because Satan hates mankind, and that includes the harlot-church. God will judge the harlot-church severely, but God will be merciful and kind to all those who remain faithful to Him. Look at Jeremiah 51:5, and see how our merciful God keeps caring for His sheep. We read in Jeremiah 51:

Jeremiah 51:5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.

“Israel hath not been forsaken” refers to those in Israel who remained faithful, and the same refers to Judah in this verse. Apply this now to our time: If we remain faithful we will not be forsaken even if our land is filled with sin against Christ, the Holy One of Israel. But if we do remain faithful we must ascribe this altogether to the mercy and grace of God, and not be stuck up in pride.

Now let's take a look at what God says in verse 7 of the same chapter:

Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand.

You see, throughout the centuries the church has always acknowledged that it was the providence of God who caused all calamities and disasters in the world. Babylon was the instrument through which God afflicted His people. The cup of His wrath was in the Lord’s hand. But this will change in the end time church, for we read in Revelation 17:4 that the harlot has the golden cup in her hand. Once the corporate church falls into worldwide apostasy, the golden cup in the Lord’s hand became the golden cup in her hand. The cup of the wrath of God that the Lord Jesus had to drink was changed to a cup in her hand.

She is no longer preaching the truth of the Word of God. The salvation that she is declaring is a works gospel; and thus the golden cup is no longer in the Lord’s hand, but in her own hand. That is why God says that this cup is “full of abominations and filthiness of her fornications”. The corporate church will no longer care for the true Gospel, but will want to design their own gospel, a works gospel. And so, it appears that the majority of the corporate church even in our day today is attempting to build a spiritual tower whose top will reach into heaven, but without the real Christ or the God of the Bible.

The Ten Horns Shall Hate the Whore

Like I said before, Satan does not love the wicked of mankind whom he is dragging into Hell. Satan hates all mankind, for they are all part of that same organism that he intended to destroy in the Garden of Eden. Now we read in Revelation 13:1 and Revelation 17:3 that the beast, Antichrist, has seven heads and ten horns, where the ten horns are symbolic for the complete dominance of Antichrist during the Final Tribulation Period over the whole earth. It is then not surprising that the ten horns hate the harlot.

Revelation 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Revelation 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

This is the same event that we read about in Revelation 18. This destruction of the harlot-church, Babylon, in chapter 18 is carried out by the ten horns, “for God has put in their hearts to fulfill His will”. And that this is the same event is evident when we compare Revelation 17:16 with Revelation 18:8, where we read:

Revelation 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

The woman-harlot sitting on Antichrist has become part of the kingdom of Satan, and the ten horns representing rulers in the kingdom of Antichrist are also part of the kingdom of Satan.

Does this mean that Satan is divided within his own kingdom and that infighting would cause him to become weaker?

No, that is not the situation. Satan will delight to do away with the woman-harlot, for she is made up of mankind, and Satan hates mankind. If he can operate without the woman-harlot he will be delighted.

In our days we can already see the tools Satan uses to bring this to pass. For example, movies about Christ will appear more often in the near future, the latest ones more blasphemous than the previous ones, and the movie-going public will be utterly brainwashed and will totally lose interest in reading the Bible themselves.

They will be thoroughly convinced that the Bible was written by man, and that it is full of contradictions, and that the Bible cannot be trusted. This was Satan’s approach all along in the Garden of Eden. Since the unsaved are prone to believe lies, the truth will be much harder to sell. This kind of blasphemy will be repeated a hundredfold in books and magazines and newspapers and on the Internet until the public loses interest in these things altogether, and they will resort to other more exciting spiritual things which do not require study and dedication.

Churches will be closing for lack of interest. We are seeing this already in Europe where churches are closing, or are converted to museums, or converted to restaurants, or are demolished entirely to make space for more housing. Just as the true church shall disappear when her work is done, so the harlot church shall disappear when her work is done. The rulers in charge of the government of the beast will see to it. This is not something that will come suddenly, as Revelation 18:8 seems to suggest, but will come very gradually.

Does this make Satan or Antichrist weaker?

On the contrary; Satan shall become stronger, for the shadow of Christ shall have been erased entirely. Sexual immorality shall increase more and more, and will penetrate into the churches. More priests and pastors shall be accused of adultery, and fornication, and child molestation and it will be front-page news. And so, the kingdom of Antichrist shall reign supreme, because Babylon is Fallen.

Babylon Is Fallen, Is Fallen

Revelation 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Three times does God say in the Bible, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen”. Here in Revelation 14:8 is one time, and God also states the reason why she has been judged: “because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication”. Symbolically it means that she has been spreading her false gospels to all nations. If pure water is the symbol for the true Gospel, then this foul drink is the symbol of false gospels, particularly works gospels and gospels that feature signs and wonders and tongues. If we must compare Scripture with Scripture then we must reference each one of these three times that God repeats this formula. Thus we need to compare Revelation 14:8 with Revelation 18:2.

Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Here we see not the reason but the result of her judgment. “She has become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird”. Babylon, the harlot-church, has become the dwelling place of demons, and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean bird. God emphasizes the word “every” to indicate to us that there is nothing that is foul, or unclean, or hateful that is left out. The church has become an adulterous, spiritual harlot that has opened her doors to every foul spirit and to every uncleanness. That is how bad the corporate church has become.

In Isaiah 21:1 we read the third instance where we find the expression, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen”. In Isaiah 21:1-10 God announces a judgment on Babylon, referring to the destruction of Babylon in 539 BC. This was the time when the Jews were held captive in Babylon, and thus they might be delighted to know that Babylon would be destroyed.

Isaiah 21:1 The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.

Isaiah 21:2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.

Isaiah 21:3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.

Isaiah 21:6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

Isaiah 21:7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:

Isaiah 21:8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:

Isaiah 21:9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.

Isaiah 21:10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

What in the world does this mean?

Babylon is named here as “the desert of the sea”.

At that time Babylon was not at all a desert for it was full of lakes, abundantly watered by the Euphrates, and Babylon was not located by the sea. Thus we must interpret these words spiritually, or symbolically. Spiritually Babylon was a desert, for even the presence of the Jewish captives was not sufficient to give Babylon a spiritual lift. It was spiritually a desert. And it was of the sea of wicked mankind, for we read in Isaiah 57:

Isaiah 57:20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

Then we read that this was a grievous vision. This is the only passage in all of Scripture where God labels a vision to be a grievous vision. It means that this is an extremely sorrowful vision for those in Babylon. Then God tells us where this vision comes from. It comes from a dry land, from a terrible land. Then God speaks about a treacherous dealer and about a spoiler. Paraphrased it says, “the deceiver deceives and the plunderer plunders”. Then God commands Elam, meaning Persia, and Media to besiege Babylon, and we know that this meant that Babylon would be taken over by the Medes and the Persians under the leadership of Cyrus. Then God says that He has made the sighing to cease. When we compare Scripture with Scripture we find that “sighing” is a distinctive characteristic of those who are being saved when they truly sigh over their sins. And thus this parable has something to do with the church.

Has God made the sighing in the church to cease?

In verse 3 we read that Isaiah experienced the pangs of a woman in travail. That is a code for the fear that grips mankind when a punishment from God is in view like an enemy army, or like the rumbling of Judgment Day.

Literally Isaiah says in verse 4: Terror overwhelms me. He has turned the twilight of my pleasure into trembling.

Paraphrased God says in verse 5, “Prepare the table, eat and drink, but watch in the watchtower. Be ready, for the enemy, like a roaring lion, seeketh whom he may devour”.

Apply this to our day.

How do we watch today?

The church is our watchtower.

How do we watch?

Not by watching the skies, but we watch by reading and studying the Word of God. This is where our defense is.

And why should we anoint the shield?

To anoint carries the meaning of setting apart.

What is the shield in our days?

Christ is our shield, and our faith in Christ is our shield, according to Ephesians 6:16.

And what does the watchman see?

The watchman sees one single chariot with two drivers, one driving two asses and the other driving two camels. We know that the number “two” is a symbol for the church.

What is so grievous about this vision that Isaiah sees?

There is nothing grievous about it yet. The chariot of camels and asses (from the South) are passing through the watchtower in this vision. Then the watchman cries out, A Lion! We do not know what this means, for the watchman assures us that he is continually in the watchtower keeping watch that no enemy slip into the church. Then in verse 9 God gives us the turning point to this vision. Literally verse 9 says, “Behold here cometh the chariot of a man”. The Hebrew word is mistranslated in the KJV as plural men, but the Hebrew text says “a man”, singular. It is this same symbolic man riding two war horses into the watchtower that causes Isaiah to say, “My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me”.

We have to understand that Antichrist enters into the corporate church at the end of time, causing the church as never before to slide into spiritual decay. And he, the man, said, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.”

Why would this be such a grievous vision?

Is it not because the Old Testament church that consisted of the Jews in captivity was already well on the way to be called Babylon?

They were not delighted by the siege of the Medes and the Persians. They considered it grievous, because they did not want any change in government now. They were settled in Babylon, and they wanted to keep it that way. And now all the graven images were destroyed. And she, the church, is the mother of harlots, for she has abandoned God and has turned herself into a servant of dumb idols. She is a worse harlot than all harlots because she once had the truth. And when Isaiah says, “O my threshing, and the corn of my floor” Isaiah is sorrowing over God’s threshing floor, the church. It is fallen. The Word of God fans the threshing floor, separating the wheat, the saints, from the chaff, the unsaved. God said, through the mouth of John the Baptist, in Matthew chapter 3:

Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

God gave us this vision to emphasize that we must constantly watch, for the enemy desires to take over our church. For the deceiver deceives and the plunderer plunders.

The next question we are faced with is:

When does the judgment of the harlot-church take place?

Is it going to be long before Christ comes, or is it going to be soon before Christ comes?

The answer is found here in Revelation 18:1.

The Earth Was Lightened With His Glory

Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

Is this the appearance of an angel?

When we see the words, “having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory” we know unmistakably that this must refer to the Lord Jesus Christ. No angel would light up the sky from East to West as if he was imitating Christ. For example we read in Luke chapter 17:

Luke 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

We see similar words in Matthew 24:

Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

When Christ comes He will come with power and great glory, and with much light. God says in Paul's second letter to the church at Thessalonica:

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

God gave us that verse in the beginning of Revelation 18, in the beginning of the judgment of Babylon. It means that when Christ comes, first He will judge the harlot-church as described in Revelation 18, and then He will judge all the rest of the world. There will not be much time for Satan to gloat over a kingdom where even the shadow of Christ has been removed. But another call from God applies much earlier.

Come Out of Her, My People

Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Revelation 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

We must already now come out of the harlot-church. When God spoke in Jeremiah 51 about the destruction of Babylon, He also said in Jeremiah 51:

Jeremiah 51:6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.

If we sense that we are in the midst of a congregation who holds on to another gospel, or if we sense that we are in the midst of a Bible Study who firmly adheres to a works gospel, we must leave that congregation or that Bible Study.

Why should we subject ourselves to the company of people who do not know the Christ of the Bible, and who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Are we not called to edify our fellow believers in Christ?

Are we not commanded to love our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Then why do we waste our time with unbelievers who do not want to hear the Word of God anyway?

We must shake the dust off our feet and move on.

For Her Sins Have Joined Together Up to Heaven

We read in our King James Bible,

Revelation 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

How have her sins reached to heaven?

Literally the Greek text of verse 5 reads, “For her sins have joined together up to heaven”. Her sins placed next to each other are like a string that reaches from earth to heaven.

Why would we want to remain in the company of those whose sins have reached unto heaven?

In social events we may be in their company, but in worship we must separate ourselves from them. They serve other gods, and their entire outlook on life is centered around their idolatry.

Why would we want to be sucked up in their idolatry?

We do not have to be polite and tolerate such sins. The Lord Jesus called them dogs and swine and hypocrites. Let us remember this when we find ourselves in the midst of a congregation that blasphemes our Lord Jesus Christ. And certainly those who engage in a serious discussion of the Da Vinci Code are practicing blasphemy.

Who are we going to please, God or the people?

So if you find yourselves under such conditions, walk out, for this is pleasing to the Lord.

A Study of Revelation 17:16The Mystery of the Ten HornsIn Revelation 13:1 we see the beast rise up out of the sea. This beast has seven heads and ten horns, just like the dragon.

Revelation 13:1And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

This beast rises up out of the unsaved of mankind, like we read in: Isaiah 57:20"But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt."This beast is going to be powerful all over the earth, for we read in verse 3, “And all the world wondered after the beast”. And therefore this cannot be one individual, for his influence is felt all over the world. Last week we looked at the seven heads of this beast. Today we will look carefully at the ten horns of this beast. Therefore the title of this article is “The Mystery of the Ten Horns”. Before we turn to Revelation 17 we should read again the words of verse 11, which describe the appearance of a second beast. Revelation 13:11“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”What is the difference between the first beast and the second beast?The 1st beast represents the incarnation of Satan and his demons in humans who will be in control of political governments, governments who have formed a confederation to bring peace on this earth, but decidedly without Christ, or the God of the Bible. The 2nd beast represents the incarnation of Satan in humans who will be in control of religious organizations, who have formed an ecumenical bond to bring peace in the churches, but decidedly without the true Christ, or the true God of the Bible. They are “the rulers of the darkness of this world, harboring spiritual wickedness in high places.” The second beast exercises all his spiritual powers in favor of the first beast. Therefore, several times in the following chapters only the first beast is mentioned. And by this is implied that both the 1st and the 2nd beast appear united as one.And here we see: 1. A Woman Sitting on the Beast

We have seen this woman two weeks ago, and thus we can be short on this.

Revelation 17:1-2And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.Revelation 17:3-4So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:Revelation 17:5-6And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And when John saw her, he marvelled with great marvel, because he had seen this woman before when God protected her and nourished her in the wilderness of this world. At that time she was the church, the Bride of Christ. But now she has become the counterfeit church, the bride of Antichrist. She has abandoned her Bridegroom, Christ, and has begun to worship other gods in the place of Christ. Verse 1 says that the woman sitteth upon many waters. This is further explained in verse 15,

Revelation 17:15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

It means that the many waters where the woman sits are identical to the sea where the beast came out of. The sea represents the wicked of mankind, not from one nation, but from many peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And since we know that Satan rules over many people, we can conclude that the beast also rules over many people. And since the harlot sits on the beast, the harlot also rules over many peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. This woman, the harlot, is symbolic for the kingdom of Satan, and is called Babylon because the ancient city Babylon was also a symbol for the kingdom of Satan. That is why we read in verse 18,

Revelation 17:18“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”

Let us now look at:

The Beast Out of the Bottomless Pit

We have studied this beast one week ago, and thus we can be short on this.

Reveation 17:7-8And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.Revelation 17:9-11And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Why does the beast now ascend out of the Bottomless Pit?

It is because the 1st beast and the 2nd beast are now combined into one beast. The first beast consists primarily of the officials in regular instituted government, which has become the beast. The second beast consists primarily of officials in the churches where false doctrine is taught, for the second beast is also called, the false prophet. The first beast is the authority on the political front, whereas the second beast is the authority in religion. The first beast came out of the sea of the unsaved masses of mankind, both from within the organized church as well as out of the masses of unchurched people. The second beast came out of the earth, or the land, pointing to the elite of the churches. All these people were never saved, and that is why they could be so thoroughly deceived by Satan, the master-deceiver. Both the sea and the land belong to the Bottomless Pit where Satan was cast into, for we can see that in:

Revelation 12:12“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath”.

That is why in Revelation 17 the beast is said to ascend out of the Bottomless Pit. In the text of Revelation 17 these two beasts are spoken of as if they were united into one beast. This beast has 7 heads and 10 horns, and now the heads and the horns are addressed separately. We have already seen that these numbers 7 and 10 should be considered symbolically. The number 7 represents perfection according to God’s plan and the number 10 represents completion according to God’s plan. The 7 heads represent 7 kingdoms. According to God’s plan it is the perfect number of kingdoms which span a length of time from the beginning of creation until Judgment Day, where the last of the 7 kingdoms is Satan’s kingdom during the Final Trbulation Period. On the other hand we should see the ten horns all at one moment in time, all simultaneously occurring during the Final Tribulation Period. According to God’s plan it is the complete number of kingdoms in the confederation of governments represented by the beast at that time. If the seven heads are envisioned on a timeline, then the ten horns should be envisioned on a line perpendicular to that timeline, at the time of the Final Tribulation Period. Furthermore we should see the dragon, the beast and the false prophet as three distinct persons. Satan cannot perfectly imitate God in His holy Trinity. The beast and the false prophet are conceived by Satan. They are human beings who are indwelt by Satan and his demons.

The Ten Horns on the Beast

Revelation 17:11-12And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.Revelation 17:13These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.Revelation 17:14¶ These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.Revelation 17:15-17And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

Why is the beast here called the eight king?

God derives this from Dan 7 where Daniel was given a vision in which he saw four wild beasts, all four pointing to the beast of Revelation 13:1. But the 4th beast was exceedingly dreadful and terrible, and it had ten horns. But then horn number 11 sprouted up. I read in:

Daniel 7:8I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Three of the ten horns were plucked up by one new little horn which came up after them. God gave us this parable to let us see the analogy between the little horn and Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. In the 7th year and in the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar he uprooted three kings of Judah, Jehoiakim, and Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah.

From the actions of the little horn as described in Daniel chapter 7 and chapter 8 we know that the little horn is representing Antichrist. He is called a little horn, because Christ is the Big Horn. But by this we know that the king of Babylon represents Antichrist; not Satan but Antichrist, for Antichrist is called a man in 2 Thessalonians 2, and the king of Babylon is a man.

But this is why the beast is called the 8th king in Revelation 17:11, and yet in another framework he is the king in the last of the seven kingdoms, the Final Tribualtion Period. When God says in:

Revelation 17:11“he is the eighth, and is of the seven”

God is referring to two different vantage points: one in which Antichrist is reigning over Babylon, the harlot, and the other one in which Antichrist is reigning during the Final Tribulation Period.

The ten horns were crowned in Revelation 13:1. By this we understand that the ten horns symbolize the completeness of Antichrist’s rule over all the earth during the Final Tribulation Period. The people ruled over by the ten horns shall make war with the Lamb, but that is the spiritual warfare going on during the Final Tribulation Period. God has given Satan the privilege to continue his rule over the hearts of unsaved people as long as this world continues. But when the last of the elect has been saved God has no reason to prolong the life of the rest of mankind, for all God’s purposes will then be fulfilled, and the life of the ten kings will have come to an end. Victorious along with Christ are those that are called, and chosen, and faithful.

But here in Revelation 17:16 we see a new event in the scenario of events near the end of time. It seems that before Christ returns to bring judgment on the unsaved of the world, first the church, the false church, will be wiped off the map.

Is this really so? Is this going to come to pass before Christ returns?

It seems that the harlot, who sits on the beast, is in competition with the ten horns on the beast, and she will be destroyed by the ten horns, the complete confederation of governments at the end of time. First we must come to grips with the Question:

2. What Is the Church?

The true church of Christ is not defined by her building, but by her relationship to Jesus Christ:

Ephesians 2:19-20Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;Ephesians 2:21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:Ephesians 2:22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Those who have received saving faith from God have received it by grace, and have become fellow citizens with all the saints.

And what is that faith that we must have received?

It is the faith to believe all that the Apostles and Prophets have written, especially those writings where Jesus Christ Himself is portrayed as the chief cornerstone of the foundation of our faith. In Christ the saints are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. Individually they are temples of God, for God has come to live in their souls. But they are also fitly framed to grow together as one holy temple in the Lord. Through the church as an organism for which Christ died the saints manifest themselves as the body of Christ, worship and glorify their God and King, and reveal His glory in the midst of this world. Their meeting together has a twofold purpose: First of all for the upbuilding of the saints in Christ Jesus so that they may come to a fuller and clearer knowledge and stronger faith concerning the grace that is in Christ, so that they may know the true Christ of the Bible and Him who has sent Christ into the world. Secondly, the saints come together for the propagation of the Gospel in every land, for together they can do greater works and are more efficient than individually. Thus the task of the church is definitely circumscribed. The task is an open ended task; it never ends. This is the internal condition of the true church.

What is in general the outward appearance of the church?

The woman of Revelation 12 and Revelation 17, we must remember, in her outward appearance is the church of Jesus Christ on earth. Externally in every respect she looks like the true church. She calls herself the church of Jesus Christ. She has church buildings, just as the true church has had through the centuries. In those buildings we find the sanctuaries where worship services are held, and where congregations meet at least once a week on the Sunday. On the pulpit we find the Bible, which supposedly is the foundation of the church. Behind the pulpit we find an ordained minister, preaching, or pretending to preach, the Word of God. The congregation sings, and prays, and confesses, and listens to the preaching. The sacraments are administered, by which we understand Water Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper.

And as they go, they receive the benediction in the name of God. Regardless now of what use there is made of that Bible on the pulpit, regardless too of how the minister accomplishes his task of administering the Word, and regardless of the nature of their worship, the fact is that outwardly there is no difference between the true church and the false church. The woman of Revelation 12 is the church as we know her. The harlot woman also represents the church of Jesus Christ. Just as well as any harlot outwardly looks like any other woman, so does the harlot church look like the true church of Christ on this earth.

What are the actions of the church in general?

What are her works?At least once a week both the true church and the harlot church meet regularly to be fed spiritually. They evangelize, for both the harlot church and the true church must go out to win converts. Both the harlot church and the true church have their programs to minister to the needy, and both the harlot church and the true church are actively involved with internally socializing among their members. But there is where the similarity ends. The question before us is now:

How does the true church become a harlot church?

Before we answer this we must first consider the other rend of the spectrum, and inquire about the origin of the beast.

What Is the State?

The state is the regularly instituted government, as we all believe in the legality and necessity of its existence in this day and age. State government is necessary to hold the sinfulness of man in check. State government exists by the will of God, and God commands from us that we obey the government. The state is clearly defined in the Bible by the words we find in Romans 13:1-7.

Romans 13:1-2Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.Romans 13:3-4For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.Romans 13:5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.Romans 13:6-7For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Do people receive damnation because they disobey the state?

No, this is not the only reason why they receive damnation. Generally the people who resist the state are people who are unsaved, and their disobedience to the state only adds to their condemnation. But people are not condemned just for disobedience to the state, just as we are not saved for obedience to any commandment. When God saves us we also receive a second nature to obey the commandments of God, including the command to obey the government. Therefore, when we pay our taxes we should pay them joyfully, for this is what God commands us to do. And thus from Romans 13:1-7 we can conclude:

1. The state is an institution of God; it is ordained by God to bear the sword power, to punish evil-doers and to protect the law abiding citizens. 2. The state is a temporal institution, to maintain law and order in the midst of a corrupt world. 3. The instrument God has given the state is not spiritual, but material: It is the power of the sword and all that this implies. 4. For these reasons we must bring honor to whom honor is due, which implies that we must obey the authorities, we must pay taxes to who taxes are due, and we must respect and honor the office of the authority who has the charge over us.

This is the purpose of our government, and this is the Scriptural concept of government. And for conscience’ sake the Christian can never become a rebel or even a traitor in time of war or of peace, unless that government should demand of the Christian that he would act contrary to the will of God. Now we should ask the question:

3. How Does the State Become a Beast?

In Isaiah 14 God addresses the king of Babylon in a proverb, which means in a parable. We read in Verse 4,“Thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon”. We will pick up this parable in verse 12.

Isaiah 14:12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!Isaiah 14:13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:Isaiah 14:14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.Isaiah 14:15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.Isaiah 14:16-17They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

It seems that God is addressing the angel Lucifer, who became Satan. We must realize that before the fall of Adam God has created everything good, and thus the angel that rebelled could not have the name Satan, for Satan means “the Adversary”. Here in Isaiah 14:12 God is addressing Satan by speaking to his Antichrist; just as in the Garden of Eden God was addressing Satan by speaking to the serpent. God addresses him here as Lucifer, “light-bearer”,which explains the warning in 2 Corinthians 11 that Satan shall come “as an angel of light”,or that Jesus said in Luke 10,“I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven”.Lucifer has said in his heart,“I will exalt my throne above the stars of God”,which means that Lucifer had a plan to exalt his throne above the stars of God. We know what that plan was. It was the plan to tempt Eve and then Adam into sin, by which Adam and Eve would lose their favorite position with God. It was a plan to promise Adam and Eve“Your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil”.It is a hollow promise of godlike wisdom. And likewise, when Satan tempts the magistrates to take actions that exceed their mandate, and promises them godlike wisdom, then the state will not be satisfied with their task of maintaining law and order. Then the state will strive for worldwide power, in order that through her agency the world may become like a kingdom of God. Then the state will be in the business of rooting out evil, for the state has defined what good and evil is. Then the state will for example persecute parents who spank their children, and persecute preachers who preach against homosexuality and abortion, because the state has defined what is good or evil. Then the state will tell us that the purpose of the state is not temporal, but eternal, and they will try to imitate the Kingdom promised by God. Then the state attempts to establish a kingdom of righteousness and peace without the Word of God and without the blood of Christ, and then it has become antichristian, and it has become the beast. Then the state dictates which gods are acceptable to worship, for we must not antagonize other worshippers in their religion. Then the state will declare ecumenical principles which may not be violated, which means that we must tolerate other religions, and we may not evangelize them, for that would be an insult to thee other religions. This is how the state becomes the beast. This is how the state presumes to represent the Kingdom of Christ, but without Christ or the Bible. This is how the wrong relationship between the church and the state comes into being.

How Does the Church Become a Harlot?

Outwardly the woman and the beast, the church and the state, are both institutions of God. But they were designed to be separate institutions, not be united like is shown in Revelation 17:3, where the woman sits upon the beast. It means that the church and the worldly state have become intimate allies. It means that the beast is the support and strength for the woman, but it also means at the same time that the beast employs the woman for his own purposes. This intimate union of church and worldly government means that both are united in character, are united in purpose, are united in aim and effort, and are united together to strive for a common goal.

And how can the woman please the beast?

First she becomes one in mind with the beast. Then she will deny that the blood of Christ is necessary to establish the Kingdom of God. Then she will seek her hope in this world and will work with the state to form that great state where everyone is happy and well. Then she will be busy with all kinds of causes such as establishing study committees to study the acceptance of women and homosexuals in the ministry, to study the acceptance of people with bare feet in the sanctuary, to study the matter of unwed mothers, and so on. Then she will no more preach of sin, or of total depravity, or of regeneration, or of the atonement of Christ. Instead she will be preaching moralizing messages to make this world a better place. Then she will preach on war and peace, on all kinds of legislation, on prohibition, on women’s rights, on hygiene and health ordinances, on wages and labor, and so on. Then she will try to tell her members how through all these things we will have a great and glorious kingdom here on earth. The woman has become a harlot. Lucifer has said in his heart,“I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation”,which means he is going to take his place behind the pulpit in the sanctuary. God speaks about this in:

2 Thessalonians 2:3-6Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.2 Thessalonians 2:7-9For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,2 Thessalonians 2:10-12And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe THE lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe THE lie, for they will rather believeTHE lie than believe the truth. Thus God’s wrath rests upon the harlot church.

4. How Will the Harlot Be Judged?

The harlot church preaches a religion that is acceptable to the world. She enjoys the favor of the world; they lavish her with gold, pearls, and purple raiment. But she also persecutes the saints who refuse to join her. It is all abomination to God, and as soon as her work is done God will put an end to this:

Revelation 17:16And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.Revelation 17:17For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

In other words, one part of the kingdom of Satan shall fight against another part of the kingdom of Satan. This self-destruction of the kingdom of Satan shall intensify as we approach the end of time. Just as the true church shall disappear when her work is done, so the harlot church shall disappear when her work is done. The kings in charge of the government during the Final Tribulation Period will see to it. The false church shall be abolished, and finally the beast, Antichrist, shall reign without any church. This is something that shall not come to pass suddenly, but very gradually, so as not to cause alarm among people who still remember something out of the Bible. We see it has already come to pass in Europe. Churches are closing, or are converted to museums, or restaurants, or are demolished entirely. Then shall the kingdom of Antichrist be complete. The shadow of Christ has been erased. The beast, the ten horns, and the false prophet have done their work, and now it is their turn to be done away.

Where Should We Be to Get Out of the Way?

Revelation 18:4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Watch therefore that ye fall not into the temptation of joining her. When we know of churches who do not preach the true Gospel, we should be careful not to join their worship services. God’s command is very clear: We must come out of her; not just by erasing our name from the membership rolls, but physically come out of her when she engages in proclaiming her heretical religion.

We must be careful when we join a Bible Study group from one of those churches that we are there only to let people listen to our Gospel from the Bible, but that we do not let others tell us what their gospel is. We do not want to be evangelized by them. God forbids us to be in such a position. God says in:

2 John 10-11“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

Therefore, where should we be and how should we get out of the way?

God is about to drop the BOMB on planet earth.

When that comes to pass, where do we want Him to find us?

Certainly we do not want Him to find us in a movie theater watching the Davinci Code, and neither in a false church listening to blasphemies.

In the bible we see that God portrays the Devil as a great red dragon. This is just a symbol of the Devil, for the Devil is a spirit, and a spirit is invisible. But God portrays Satan as a great red dragon to warn us for his great power, and his wickedness, and his viciousness.

Revelation 12:3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

But Satan is a spirit. In order for Satan to persecute the woman, the church, Satan needs a body to physically carry out his plans. And the body he chose is almost identical in appearance as he spiritually is characterized.

The Physical Power of the first Beast

Revelation 13:1And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

When we compare these two verses the first thing that stands out is the great similarity between the Devil and the beast that rises up out of the sea. Satan is a great imitator of God. God is a spirit, and God chose to incarnate Himself in a human body, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, who claimed that He came in the likeness of God the Father. The Lord Jesus said in:

John 14:9He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.

Satan is a spirit, and Satan chose to incarnate himself in a body, which is called Antichrist, which is the beast out of the sea. And just like the Lord Jesus Christ works out His plans through all His followers in the world, the Christians, so the Devil works out his plans through all the little Antichrists in the world, who are indwelt by all his fallen angels. But God portrays the work of all these Antichrists as the work of one person, Antichrist, or the beast, for he works through all his human servants both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Just like all the work of all the saints is credited to one person, Christ, for He works through all his saints both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). This beast that rises up out of the sea is the same beast we have already seen in Revelation 11:7

Revelation 11:7And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

We have seen, by comparing the verses of Revelation 11, that the word “kill” should be interpreted here as “silence”. Moreover, the sea where the beast of Revelation 13:1 rises out of, is the same as the Bottomless Pit where the beast of Revelation 11:7 rises out of. And thus the sea is figuratively speaking of the sea of the wicked part of mankind, for God says in:

Isaiah 57:20But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

And just like Christ can no longer be separated from God, so this beast can no longer be separated from Satan himself. This then was the description of the first beast in Revelation 13. And we have seen that the first beast was the symbol of a great world power that rules over the wicked. This first beast represents a coalition of governments, which was not formed by force, but by a free alliance of all the nations together, for all the nations of the world wonder after the beast, think him to be great, admire him, and subject themselves to him willingly. But in doing so they are unwittingly doing obeisance to Satan.

This beast is anti-God, and anti-Christ, and anti-kingdom, and anti-saints, since this beast received his power and his throne from the dragon. This beast bears the names of blasphemy on his seven heads, and he opens his mouth to blaspheme God, and His Name, and the dwelling-place of God in the souls of the saints, and them that dwell in heaven. This beast persecutes and silences all those who refuse to worship his master, Satan. And Satan allows himself to be worshipped as God, instead of the Most High.

It will be a worldwide coalition of peoples and nations wherein man worships his own work, and in which the Devil is lord supreme. The beginnings of this worldwide coalition are already in the world. Some of us can already see the signs of the times. But the title of this article is, “The Beast Out of the Earth”.

The Enormous Influence of the Second Beast

Revelation 13:11And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spake as a dragon.

Revelation 13:12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Revelation 13:13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

Revelation 13:14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Revelation 13:15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Revelation 13:16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Revelation 13:17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Revelation 13:18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

There is a definite relation between the first beast and the second beast. We must not have the impression that in the first half of the chapter God pictures Antichrist, and in the second half something else. That is not so. In the entire 13th chapter of Revelation we have ONE picture of Antichrist. The two beasts together form the picture of the full and complete antichristian power. But the first beast pictures it in its political aspect, whereas the second beast deals with its religious and moral and scientific aspects. The first beast tells us that the dominion of Antichrist HAS sway over all men and over all things, whereas the second beast explains to us HOW this first beast exercises his authority.

But the Two Beasts Are Two in One

Let us first look at the words that God wrote for us in this passage. When we read verses 11-18 it is clear that the symbolism of the first half of this chapter is simply continuing. But the first part of this chapter is really unintelligible without the second. The first part of this chapter begs for the spiritual activities of the first beast. Therefore, to complete the picture we must really insert the picture of the second beast into that of the first beast.

The full symbolism is as follows:

The first beast is followed by a second, who rises up out of the earth. He is less evil in appearance, and his origin is not from the stormy sea but from the more quiet and stable earth.

But God uses the sea and the earth alternately, as if they both represent the masses of mankind. For example, in Daniel 7:3 the four beasts come up out of the sea, whereas in Daniel 7:17 God says that these four beasts represent four kings that shall arise out of the earth.

And now, the second beast of Revelation 13:11 looks like a lamb, but when he speaks in the ears of the saints he reminds them of the suggestions of the awful red dragon. He exercises all his authority in the presence of, and as servant of the first beast. And therefore, the purpose of this second beast lies in the service of the first. For the second beast causes the inhabitants of the whole world to wonder after the first beast, admire him, and even worship him. This second beast causes man to build an image to the first beast.

Be careful now.

He does not cause man to make an image OF the first beast, but he causes man to make an image TO the first beast, in order to worship the beast through this image. The second beast causes all the worshippers of the first beast to receive a sign, which distinguishes them from those who refuse to worship the first beast, in order that they may be killed.

Therefore, this second beast is the actual power of the first beast, and the first beast works and exercises his power through the second. The first beast could not exist and could not exercise his authority without the work of the second beast. And the second beast exists entirely for the purpose of letting the first beast reach its full power.

What does this second beast represent?

This beast, although it exercises authority, does not exercise his power by commands, but evidently by persuasion. He speaks. He speaks like a highly intelligent being, for Satan, who indwells him, is a highly intelligent being. We read that the second beast makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, that he deceives man by great signs and wonders that he performs, that he says to them who dwell on the earth that they should make an image, and he causes all who worship the beast to receive a sign.

Can you see the tremendous influence that this second beast has upon all who dwell upon the earth, and especially on people in the churches?

And he does all that by persuasion. He does not force, but convince. He does not command, but wins the hearts of men. Therefore the second beast comes with the persuasion of a prophet. Indeed God calls him “the false prophet”.

Have you ever asked yourselves why a second beast was necessary to help the first beast?

Revelation 13:11And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

(In other words, this lamb spoke as if he were Satan himself.)

This beast came up out of the earth, instead of out of the sea of wicked mankind. But let us have a closer look at this word “earth”. It is a Greek word, Strong’s Concordance number , which has been translated “earth”, or “land”, or “ground”, and that is what it means most of the time. But in some cases this word does not mean the entire earth, but only that fraction of the earth that represents “the Kingdom of God on this earth”. Let me read to you some examples of this meaning in the Scriptures.

Matthew 13:8But other (seed) fell into good ground , and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold. (The good ground refers to those people in the Kingdom of God.)

Acts 7:3And said unto him (Abraham), Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. (The land of Canaan is a picture of the Kingdom of God).

Ephesians 1:10That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth ; even in him:

Christ will gather together not all things which are on the earth, but only those things that belong to the Kingdom of God. All other things have been defiled and will be burnt when this earth is destroyed.

Ephesians 3:15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,Not everyone on earth belongs to the family of Christ; only those who belong to His elect people.

Colossians 1:20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Christ did not make peace or reconcile all things to Himself; only those things which He intended to save for His eternal Kingdom. All other things have been defiled and will be burnt at His coming.

Hebrews 11:9By faith he (Abraham) sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

“The land of promise” is symbolic for the Kingdom of God that was promised to all the saints.Revelation 1:5And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ is not the Prince of all the heathen kings of the earth. We are those “kings”. Christ is the Prince of all the saints, who are called “kings and priests unto God and His Father”.

Let us now focus on the second beast of Revelation 13:11.“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth”.

Where does this beast come out of?

O yes, he still comes out of the Bottomless Pit, but instead of coming out of the wicked masses of mankind, this second beast comes out of the wicked who are a part of the Kingdom of God on this earth, especially the educated in the church.

Let us look at an example that God gives us. In Acts 20:28 the Apostle Paul was returning to Jerusalem from his 3rd missionary journey. He intended not to spend time at Ephesus, but instead called the Ephesian Elders to meet him at Miletus, the harbor city where his ship was. There at Miletus he preached to the Ephesian Elders, and he said in Act 20:

Acts 20:28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Acts 20:29For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Acts 20:31Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

The Apostle Paul looked the Ephesian Elders straight in the eye, and said,“Also out of you shall some arise to bring false doctrines into the church, and shall draw away many from Christ and make them followers of you. For three years long I have warned you of this, and I know that after I have departed this shall come to pass”.

How did the Apostle know this?

God has revealed it to Him. And likewise God has revealed to us here in Revelation 13 and Revelation 17 that the second beast, the false prophet, shall arise out of the elite from the churches. They shall work hand in hand with all those coming out of the masses of unsaved man to convince mankind that the gospels they are bringing are the best God has to offer, and that it now depends on you, the people of the congregation, to make the decision.

Such is the character of the infernal trinity. Satan, the father of lies, working together with his anointed, Antichrist, and together with the sharpest minds in high places, the false prophet, as an unholy trinity, to deceive and to snare people into gospels that are abominations to God. And when we speak of the beast in Revelation 17, it is implied that we speak of the first and the second beast together as they both are indwelt by Satan and his demons.

The False Prophet

Revelation 19:20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

And again in:

Revelation 20:10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

In both these verses the beast refers to the first beast, and the false prophet refers to the second beast of Revelation 13:11.

What is a prophet?

We find from Scripture that a prophet is one who speaks for someone else. Aaron is called the prophet of Moses when they two together go to Pharaoh, and Aaron speaks the message in the place of and for Moses. The prophets of God among Israel spoke the message that God wanted them to speak instead of and for God. They appealed to the minds and hearts of the men of Israel in behalf of Jehovah.

This second beast is also a prophet; he speaks for someone else. But he is a false prophet; he speaks the lie. He deceives already by his appearance. He looks like a lamb, and thus from his appearance people would be led to believe that he is in some way affiliated with Christ, and that the words he speaks are the words of Christ. This brought Martin Luther to believe that the Pope is The Antichrist: From his appearance people would be led to believe that he is in some way affiliated with Christ, and that the words he speaks are the words of Christ. Moreover, Revelation 13:11 tells us that this beast speaks like the dragon. In other words, the contents of his prophecy and teaching are not derived from the words of Christ, but are derived from the Devil. His doctrine is totally opposed to the plain truths of Scripture, but people love it, and they embrace it as if it were the words of Christ. People love his doctrine because they find it uplifting, and comforting, and it gives them back their self-worth, and it them back their self-esteem, and it removes their fear of Hell, and it removes their fear of the Devil, and it removes their fear of God for God is love, and God the Father has now become their daddy, and Christ has now become their buddy, and since God is love He will cast only the most wicked people into Hell, such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. People love the doctrine of the false prophet, for his doctrine erases the boundaries between religions, so that now evangelicals and Catholics can walk together.

People love the heresy of salvation conditioned on the sinner!

And through the actions of the late Pope John Paul we can see that even the Muslims and the Buddhists are attracted toward such a doctrine. But Satan is the Father of these lies, for the Bible says that God does not need any help from the unsaved. God does not need, nor does He want, an ecumenical movement that brings all the people of the world together under one spiritual umbrella. But this will be the doctrine of the false prophet.

Let us now also consider “The Little Horn”.

The Little Horn

Both in Daniel 7 and in Daniel 8 God speaks about “The Little Horn”, which is a reference to Antichrist.

What is the origin of his title?

We find it here in Luke 1:69, as well as in many other places in the Bible. In his song of praise Zechariah, he father of John the Baptist, spoke of Christ as “the horn of salvation”.

Luke 1:69And (God) hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

If Jesus Christ is the Great Horn, then Antichrist is the Little Horn. There are many more verses where the Lord Jesus Christ is spoken of as a horn. For example:

1 Samuel 2:10“The Lord shall exalt the horn of His anointed”

2 Samuel 22:3“the horn of my salvation”

Psalm 18:2“the horn of my salvation”

Psalm 132:17“the horn of David”

Ezekiel 29:21“the horn of the house of Israel”.

When we read about the Little Horn we read in Daniel 7:21 that the Little Horn “made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.”

In Daniel 7:25 we also read that the Little Horn “shall wear out the saints of the Most High”, and “they shall be given into his hand”. But nothing in Daniel 7 indicates HOW Antichrist is going to overcome the saints. On the other hand, when God writes about the Little Horn in Daniel 8 He gives much information HOW the Little Horn shall overcome the saints. The reason for this is that in Daniel 7 God complements the beast that comes up out of the sea, from the first half of Revelation 13, whereas in Daniel 8 God complements the beast that comes up out of the earth, the false prophet, from the second half of Revelation 13. For example, we read in Daniel 8:11-13 that “by him the daily sacrifice was taken away”. But the word “sacrifice” is in italics; it was a suggestion by the translators.

But what has sacrifice to do with the Final Tribulation Period, since all animal sacrifices ceased after Christ died on the cross?

In fact, the daily that was taken away relates to the lamp that burnt continually in the temple. In fact, the Hebrew word for “daily” here in Daniel 8:11-13 is usually translated “continual”, or “continually”. For example, God said in:

Leviticus 24:2Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.

Leviticus 24:3Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.

Leviticus 24:4He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually.

And thus Daniel 8:11 should have been translated as follows: “by him the continual was taken away”.

You see, the lamps in the tabernacle, or in the temple, represent the light of the Gospel. The true Gospel is the daily, or the continual, that will be taken away by the false prophet during the Final Tribulation Period. This will be the activity of the false prophet. He will silence the Saints, and that is how he will take away the light of the Gospel.

Daniel 8:23And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

Daniel 8:24And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

Daniel 8:25And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

“A king who understands dark sentences”.

What is that?

This refers to the beast that comes out of the earth, the false prophet, who seems to have inherited the brains of the dragon; “dark sentences”, or “dark sayings”, refer to parables.

God says in Psalm 78:2, or in Psalm 49:4, “I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.”

Normally only true believers can understand the Bible very well, for only they are enlightened by God the Holy Spirit. But during the Final Tribulation Period God has allowed Satan and his demons to understand dark sentences. And thus the false prophet comes in the form of thousands of learned teachers and preachers of a false Gospel, and they shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. And thus he will be successful in most of the churches, for he shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

And how will the false prophet carry out his task?

We read in verse 25, “By peace he shall destroy many”. He does not come with great force, or with a great army, but he comes with persuasion, and he comes with great confidence that he will win any debate. Any human being who tries to debate with Satan, the master deceiver, will loose. We are simply no match against Satan, or against his servant the false prophet. Because of his craftiness in deception, his false gospels are widely perceived as the right way to gain peace with God. But in reality they are leading people to Hell.

But on the Last Day he will be broken, not by the hands of man or by any human force, but by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This then is the great danger that we will have to face during the Final Tribulation Period. Antichrist will not only be a worldwide power of political strength, but Antichrist will also have moved into the churches and congregations and seminaries, so that there will be almost no place to hide from Antichrist. Therefore we are warned:

Watch for Wise Deceivers

What are the consequences of all this?

In the passage we are going to read the Lord Jesus indicated that the number of true believers in the world shall gradually diminish to almost nothing.

Why is this happening?

In spite of all the evangelism carried out by all the mainline denominations, and in spite of the success stories brought home by most of the missionaries, the number of true believers will decline. We read in:

Matthew 24:22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Matthew 24:24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Matthew 24:25Behold, I have told you before.

The Lord is speaking about the Final Tribulation Period, for this is the subject matter of the previous verse. If I may paraphrase, the Lord says in verse 22, “If I would allow the full length of the Final Tribulation Period to run its course, the world would end up with not one person saved, since everyone would end up in a false gospel. But for the elect’s sake I will shorten the length of the Final Tribulation Period.”

How is this possible?

Are the children of true believers not saved automatically, so that there will always be a remnant believing the true Gospel?

Absolutely NOT!

God says in Ephesians chapter 2:

Ephesians 2:3“We all were by nature the children of wrath, even as others”.

A parent may want to instill in his child the fear and admonition of the Lord, but a selfish and stubborn child may throw the parent’s advice in the wind. During the Final Tribulation Period the enticement of false gospels will be so great that even the children of the saints will most likely be drawn away into another gospel.

The Lord says in verse 23 that if they come to you and say, “Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.” For example, someone may come to you and say, “Come to our church, or come to our prayer-meeting, and there you will feel the presence of Christ, speaking through His dear children in dreams and visions and tongues, and there you will really feel the Spirit’s presence”, then believe them not. “For”, and now we need to pay close attention to the words of verse 24, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

False prophets shall arise with gospels that are O-So-Close to the true Gospel that even the elect would be deceived, if that were possible.

And how are these false gospels recognized?

They shall be accompanied by great signs and wonders.

They shall be accompanied by all the evidences of a true prophet.

How can you deny such evidences?

Moreover they say, here is where you can feel the presence of Christ. Come, and experience this great presence of Christ and of His Spirit. This is the pressure that your children will be subjected to, and many of them will cave in. They will not remember the warnings of their pastor, for even their parents were listening with half an ear when he warned them of these things. The Lord Jesus said in verse 25, “Behold, I have told you before”. In other words, “Behold, I have warned you in advance that this will come to pass, and it will.” This is the action of “the false prophet”, the beast that rises up out of the earth. The false prophet will not be confined to one particular place, or to one body, but the false prophet will be all over the world, so that “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved”, and no flesh refers to all mankind all over the world.

How can we arm ourselves with more discernment?

How can we recognize if someone brings a false gospel?

And more importantly, how can we know if we are still in the true Gospel?

How can we know if we are saved?

First of all we must pray for wisdom, for it is only by God’s grace if we will not fall for the schemes of Satan. Secondly we can ask ourselves, and we can ask the preacher:

What Have You Done With Christ?

Whatever you have done with the Bible is what you have done with Christ. It is not that the Bible is our god, and Christ is not the Bible, but the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself, and especially His revelation of Himself through His Christ,His anointed one, the Lord Jesus. We call the Bible “the Word of God” and indeed it is. for we read in:

2 Peter 1:20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

2 Peter 1:21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (Lit: having been borne along by the Holy Ghost).

In other words, God says here in verses 20 and 21 that no verse, and even no words of Scripture may be interpreted according to anyone’s private interpretation, for these are not the words of men but of God. These are the words spoken by God and written by men who have been set apart by God to do this task, and thus these words are not open to anyone’s private interpretation. Only God may interpret God’s Word, which means only by comparing Scripture with Scripture can we arrive at the true meaning of any Scripture. And this rule must be applied to all the words we find in the Bible, the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, for it is God who speaks through all these words. In Revelation 19 God speaks about the Last Day when Christ shall come to judge all mankind that is still on this earth after the saints have been raptured to be with Christ. Jesus Christ is described in Revelation 19:13.

Revelation 19:13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

“His name is called The Word of God.”

Why is His name called the Word of God?

It is because the Word of God, the Bible, is a complete description of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not complete in the absolute sense, for there are still many things that God did not disclose to us because we are not able to understand it. But this is the description that God gave to us stating that this is the God whom we should worship.

The Bible fully circumscribes who the God is whom we worship, and to our senses God’s description of Himself is complete. This God of the Bible is the God whom we must worship. That is why the Lord Jesus comes with the name that is called “The Word of God”. Therefore, when we take away words from the Word of God, or when we add words to the Word of God, we have taken away from Christ, or we have added to Christ.

And in so doing we have created another god, but he is no longer the God of the Bible. When we take away from the words of the Bible, not literally crossing out words, but in our minds deleting those verses that we do not like, and then claim that this is the God of the Bible, we would not only be lying, but we would be blaspheming the Most High, for we would claim a vain image to be the God of the Bible.

For example, when we detest the words of Romans 9, where God speaks about Himself as a Potter who has made vessels unto honor and vessels unto dishonor, and we do not believe what we read there, then we have created another god, and we have ridiculed the God of the Bible.

When we despise the words of Ephesians 1, where God speaks of choosing His elect from before the foundation of the world according to the good pleasure of His will, and we do not believe what we read there, then we have created another god, and we have blasphemed the God of the Bible. When we abhor the words of Isaiah 43:3-4, where God speaks of giving up men for the sake of His elect, and for giving up people so that His elect may have spiritual life, and we do not believe what we read there, then we have created another god in our mind who is just a caricature of the God of the Bible. At this point some people would accuse me of declaring everyone unsaved who does not believe like I do. That is not so. The thief on the cross next to Jesus certainly did not comprehend all these things that I am speaking about.

The thief on the cross had only a little knowledge of salvation, but he was faithful to that little information that God has revealed to him. And so it is with everyone whom God saves. A little child can be saved with very small amount of knowledge that reaches his or her ears. In the past there were many people saved who had only a small portion of the scriptures preached to them. We should rejoice that God’s grace reached them also who did not have the full information of the Old Testament and the New Testament. But we have heard and read all this in the Bible. We, the people of the 21st century, have all this information at our fingertips, both the written Word of God on cellulose and ink, and the written Word of God with its analyses on computer screens. The Lord Jesus said in Luke chapter 12:

Luke 12:48For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.

We have the privilege of understanding our God in a more perfect way, for God has given us all that information. But what we do with that information is equivalent to what do we do with Christ.

Do we cherish our Bridegroom and hold Him to our chest?

Do we adore Him for all the wonderful things that He has made known to us?

Do we want to be as close to Him as we can?

Do we spend as much time with Him as we can?

If we are skimming the edges and spend just the minimum time that is required, we are declaring by our actions that we really want to live as far from Him as possible.

Can we examine ourselves honestly and see what we have done with Christ?

And when we have studied our Bibles we can also judge the preachers and teachers that come into our life and examine what they have done with Christ. This is how we obtain more discernment. This is not only giving ourselves more confidence if we are saved, but it is also giving us more discernment concerning the preachers that come in our life.

What have we done with Christ?

That is the BIG question that should be in the forefront of our mind after hearing reading this.AMEN.

About Me

Elected by my Heavenly Father before the foundation of the world to eternal life with himself, not through any forseen free will faith but only by God's mercy. Jesus Christ the only begotten of the Father then redeemed me through his precious blood shed on the cross and the Holy Spirit made me alive in Christ, it was only then that i willfully ran to the mercy of God through his son Jesus Christ.
Therefore i am but a piece of clay whom the Father had mercy on - and the father now works in me to will and do of his good pleasure - all for the glory of himself and his dear son Jesus.
Heavenly Father has graciously given me a desire for truth - and my aim is to share this truth that the Lord Jesus has revealed to me to whoever he wills.
for many are called but few are chosen.